Ball joint tilt glide



Nov. 27, 1962 F. J. FONTANA ETAL 3,065,494

BALL JOINT TILT GLIDE Filed May 16, 1960 s I 4a |6 56 4446 wm 52 3o H22838 /I/ 4o 58 5A INVENTORS FranK J. Fontana 5 Michael Kramc5aK,J,-.

ATToeNEv United States Patent Oftice 3,@55A94i Patented Nov. 27, 1962streitet BALL JUENT THLT GLHDE Frank 2i. Fontana and Michaei Kramcsalr,Jr., Bridgeport, Coram, assignors to The Bassist: Company, Bridgeport,Conn., a corporation of Sonnen-tient Filed May 16, 1950, Ser. No. 29,4963 Claims. {CL 1ro-42) 'I'his invention relates to a detachable glidestructure for furniture legs of the type employing a resilient cushionand more particularly to a structure of this type in which the cushionremains relatively unflexed regardless of the angle to which thefurniture leg is tilted.

Glider units having polished door-engaging buttons are employedprimarily to aid in moving furniture over the iloor quietly and to avoidscratching or injuring the door. Structures of this type have, in thepast, employed resilient cushioning means 4between the floor contactbutton and the furniture leg for absorbing the shock and Vibrationtransmitted through the leg. In order to provide a -glide structure inwhich the bottom surface of the button remains parallel to the plane ofthe floor regardless of Ithe angle to which the furniture leg ispositioned, there have been designed glide units employing universaljoints or the like to 4allow such positioning.

In structures of this type, there is normally provided a concave,semi-spherical bottom surface formed on .the furniture leg attachmentmeans. A metal contact plate is provided on the upper surface of theglide, having a semi-spherical outer con-figuration in which the platemakes full surface contact with the concave surface of the furniture legattachment means so that regardless of the position with which theContact plate is shifted with respect to the normal axis of thefurniture leg, there will be provided full surface contact .between themembers.

In one such construction, the means for engaging the glide unit with thefurniture leg includes a stem member which extends upwardly through thecenter of the cushioning member and is frictionally coupled to thefurniture leg such that any pivoting or tilting of the furniture legwith respect to the normal axis of the glide results in excessivecompressive and tension stresses being set up within the cushion memberand distortion of the cushion member itself. This distortion caused bycompression and tension of the resilient cushion adjacent the stem iscompletely independent of the normal compressive stress on the cushionwhen the cushion is subjected to the weight of the furniture leg throughnormal usuage. Under such circumstances, the natural resilience oftheelastic cushion member provides a definite tendency to return the stemto a vertical position such that the axis of the stem is in line withthe normal axis of the glide unit, notwithst-anding the fact that thesupported vfurniture leg is required to remain in the tilt position.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide animproved glide unit of the type employing a resilient cushion positionedbetween the button `and the furniture leg, which allows the universaltilting of the stem with respect to the button without stressing theresilient cushion.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved tiltableglide unit of this type in which the supporting stem is stable in anyposition to which it is driven by the supported leg and the iioorsurface.

Other objects of this invention will be pointed out in the followingdetailed description and claims and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing which discloses, by Way of example, the principle of thisinvention, and the best mode which has been contemplated of applyingthat principle.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a front elevational View, in section of the apparatus of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is side-elevational view, partially in section of the apparatusof FIG. 1 mounted on a furniture leg.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of swivel ball joint member of theapparatus shown in FIG. l.

In general, one embodiment of this invention comprises a glide unit fora furniture leg, allowing universal motion therewith after `assemblyincluding a metal button having a bottom face adapted to engage thefloor with the button carrying a hollow resilient cushion. Asemispherical contact and guide plate is rigidly secured to the uppersurface of the cushion opposite that of the button and a cup-shapedfurniture leg attaching device is provided which includes a bottomsurface of concave coniiguration which cooperates with thesemi-spherical contact plate to allow universal movement between thefurniture leg and the glide button. A stem member extends upwardly fromthe button through the hollow cushion `and means are provided forfrictionally engaging the cup and the `furniture leg to insurefrictional engagement between the guide plate and the bottom surface ofthe furniture leg attachment cup. The improvement resides in rigidlysecuring a swivel ball joint member comprising a hollow cup to thehollow resilient cushion and providing on the upstand-ing stem member, acooperating swivel portion or bal-l which allows universal tilting ofthe stem and furniture leg with respect to the button without stressingthe hollow resilient cushion carried by the button with the contactplate acting to support the furniture leg on the glide unit.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a cupshaped furniture legattaching portion 10, which has its bottom portion 12 bent upwardly toachieve a concave contiguration with the bottom portion 12 beingprovided with a central aperture 14. The glide unit lfurther includes `apolished floor-engaging .button 16 comprising a sheet metal shell openat its top face and including inwardly directed terminal portions 18,which are adapted to rigidly engage a hollow resilient cushion -20 whichis inserted within the button 16, the resilient cushion beingconstructed of rubber or like material. The resilient cushion -20 has apair of internal bores 22 and 24, the lower `bore 24 located adjacentthe inner surface of button member 16 being of somewhat greater diameterthan the upper bore 22. A guide plate 26 formed of sheet metal ofsimilar construction to cup member and button 16 is mounted on the uppersurface of the hollow resilient cushion 20 and is provided with acentral, semi-spherical or convex portion 2S, which cooperates with thebottom surface 12 of cup 10. In like manner to cup 10, a centralIaperture 30 is provided on the plate or guide member 26 which in likemanner to opening 14 allows a vertical metal stem 32 to extend upwardlyand centrally of cup member 10, guide member 26, cushion 20 and button16.

The present invention is directed to an improved swivel arrangementbetween the elements making up the glide for allowing free universalmovement between the furniture leg and the glide button 16 whilepreventing any abnormal stress upon the resilient cushioning member Zd.in this regard, a swivel ball joint member 3d formed of sheet metal andbeing generally cylindrical at the lower end is positioned within thesmaller bore 22 of the resilient cushion and is rigidly locked to thecushion member by having? its lower terminal edge 36 bent over toachieve frictional locking of the joint member to the resilient' cushion2i). The upper terminal portion 38 of the cylindrical swivel ball jointmember 34 is bent inwardly to produce a semi-spherical configurationwith the extreme end of this member being open to form aperture 40 of adiameter slightly greater than the diameter of stern 32,. Asemi-spherical ball or swivel member 42 is mounted on the lower end ofstem 32 adjacent the semi-spherical portion 38 of the swivel ball jointmember allowing the ball joint member 38 to embrace closely the ballportion 42 to achieve the desired swivel joint between the stem 32 andthe lower portion of the glide unit.

During the assembly, means are provided for coupling together theelements making up the structure, which include the use of an innersleeve member 44 which is generally cylindrical in configuration butincludes an outwardly projecting curved terminal surface 46 at the lowerend thereof which seats against the inner surface of the bottom portion12 of the leg mounting cup l0, The upper end of the cylindrical innersleeve 44 is provided with an inwardly directed ange 48 terminating inan opening or aperture S-tl of a diameter slightly in excess of thediameter of stem 32. The leg mounting cup 10 is adapted to receive ahollow tubular leg member (not shown) which is inserted within the cup land is adapted to slide down along the inner wall and to be frictionallyengaged by an umbrella element 52, which consists primarily of arectangular member being bent downwardly at the four corners asindicated at 54 to provide locking clips which are somewhat resilientand act to frictionally engage the inner surfaces of a metallic hollowleg (not shown) which is inserted within the leg mounting cup lil. Themanner in which the cup member lll is attached to the leg isconventional and forms no part of the present invention, but thefrictional engagement occurs primarily due to the inward or downwardlyflexing of tips 54 as the leg is inserted within the cup member 10. Anyattempt to remove the cup member from the furniture leg results in anupward exing of the tips 54 tending to further secure the hollow legmember within the cup l0.

The elements making up the glide unit are held in assembled relation bypeening or otherwise deforming the upper end of stem 32 after assembly.One method of assembly may comprise inserting the cylindrical swivelball joint member 34 Within cushion member 20 and deforming terminal end36 to securely lock this member to the cushion. After which, the shaft,including the ball portion 42, which may be integral or rigidly securedto the stem at this position, is inserted within the swivel ball jointmember to achieve a universal connection at this point. The guide platemember 26 is positioned on the upper surface of the cushion member andthe leg mounting cup lll is positioned axially thereon with the innersleeve 44 and the umbrella 52 in place next, the protruding upper end 56of stem 32 is peened over or deformed sufficiently to provide a lipportion 58 acting to position the members axially on shaft or stem 32under slight compressive loading by initially compressing the resilientmember Ztl during assembly. After assembly of the cup member 1@ and itselements, the intermediate plate member 28, the swivel ball joint member34 and the resilient cushion Ztl, the cup-shaped button member 16 may berigidly secured to the bottom surface of cushion 20 by deforming thesides of this member so that terminal portion 18 is driven into lthebody of the resilient cush-l ion 20.

It is evident from reference to FIG. 3, that after the furniture leg isinserted within the leg mounting cup lt?, the umbrella 52, frictionallyengages the inner surface of the leg, with the result that any tiltingof the furniture leg with respect to the normal axis of the glide memberwill result in tilting of stem 32. In response to such tilting movement,surface 12 of cup lll will slide over the surface of contact member 28and ball member 42 will rotate within ball joint member 34, the bottomsurface of the button 16 remaining in contact with the floor. In thepresent improved structure, such tilting results only in the rotation ofball member 42 with respect to the swivel ball join.t member 34, theaxis of which also remains vertical regardless of the angular positionto which the furniture leg is moved. Pivotal movement is enhanced, whileat the same time there is no tendency to return the stern 32 to avertical position regardless of the fact that the supported leg remainsin a tilted position as indicated in FIG. 3.

While there has been shown and described, and pointed out the novelfeatures of the invention as applied to a 4preferred embodiment, it willbe understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes inthe form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation maybe made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit ofthe invention. lt is the intention, therefore, to be limited only asindicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. ln a tiltable glide including a `button having a floor engagingsurface, an annular resilient cushion secured to the button opposite thefloor engaging surface, a support plate mounted on the cushion oppositethe button, a leg engaging member slidably mounted on the support plateand forming with the support plate a load carrying universal action balland socket, and a stem extending through aligned openings in the supportplate and leg engaging member and operatively secured to the button andleg engaging member to maintain the glide in the assembled relationship,the improvement comprising the combination of a socket member receivedin the through-opening of the cushion and having an outwardly divergingterminal portion overlapping the cushion remotely of the load carryingball and socket operable to limit movement of said socket member towardsaid load carrying ball and socket, said socket member having at its endadjacent the load carrying ball and socket a concave semi-sphericalinner surface of radius of curvature smaller than and generallyconcentric of said load carrying ball and socket, said concave surfacehaving an opening therein centrally thereof adapted to receive freelythe stem, and a ball member secured to the stem having a convexsemi-spherical surface complementary to and slidably engaging saidconcave surface of the socket member to dene a retaining ball and socketat the button end of the stem.

2. A tiltable glide, comprising in combination, a button having a floorengaging surface, an annular resilient cushion secured to the button onthe side thereof opposite the floor engaging surface, a rst set ofopposing rigid members abutting opposite sides of the cushion in linewith the central opening thereof and restrained in movement toward oneanother kby the resiliency of the cushion, said members having,respectively, a concave semi-spherical surface and a convexsemi-spherical surface of different radii facing in opposite directionsand having generally the same center of curvature, said members alsohaving aligned openings centrally of the respective surfaces generallyin line with the through-opening of the cushion, a stem of smallertransverse dimension than the aligned openings adapted to extendtherethrough and be laterally movable therein limitedly before contactwith the members, a second set of opposing rigid members disposedoutwardly of the tirst set of members, said second set of membershaving, respectively, a convex semi-spherical surface and a concavesemi-spherical surface adapted to face in opposite directions, becomplementary to, and engage slidably the semi-spherical surfaces of therst set of members, said second set of members being operatively securedrigidly to the stem operable to maintain all of the members securedtogether, and means on the one mem-ber of the second set remote from thebutton adapted to besecured to the supported article of furniture.

3. A tilt-able glide, comprising in combination, a button having a floorengaging surface, an annular resilient cushion secured to the buttonopposite the floor engaging surface, a support plate mounted on thecushion opposite the button, a leg engaging member on the support plateadapted to be secured to the supported article leg, the leg 5 engagingmember and support plate having, respectively, complementary matingconcave and convex semi-spherical surfaces slidably engaging to form aload carrying universal action ball and socket, a rigid socket membersecurely positioned in the through-opening of the annular cushion andhaving an outward diverging terminal portion overlapping the cushionremotely of the load carrying ball and socket operable to preventmovement of said socket member toward said load carrying ball andsocket, said socket member having at its end adjacent the load carryingball and socket a concave inner semi-spherical surface smaller than andgenerally concentric of said load carrying ball and socket, all of saidsemi-spherical surfaces being aligned and having therein alignedopenings cen- References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 2,140,541 Moore Dec. 20, 1938 2,666,608 Holm Ian. 19, 19542,757,407 Kramcsak Aug. 7, 1956

